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5. Pittsburgh

6. Syracuse. Syracuse should have been in the NCAA Tournament last year. Perhaps the Orange shouldn't have been beyond suspicion on Selection Sunday, but any logical analysis would have placed them ahead of teams like Stanford, Arkansas and Illinois. Regardless, Jim Boeheim's team didn't make the field and exited with a whimper after receiving a consolation-less NIT bid. That makes three straight seasons that Syracuse has failed to win an NCAA Tournament game, something that is hard to imagine from an outsider's perspective and probably quite difficult to swallow in Central New York.

The program took another hit this summer when rising junior Andy Rautins tore up his knee playing with the U.S. University Games team. Rautins had a breakout sophomore season that displayed his outside touch and knack for picking up steals, but will miss all of the coming season. The guard was pivotal in Syracuse's five-game February winning streak that appeared to cement an NCAA bid. He scored at least 13 points in each game and added 11 steals. Rautins' injury leaves only three returning players who saw significant action last season.

Eric Devendorf had a sophomore season marked by inconsistency and tragedy. Despite a midseason malaise that saw Devendorf's minutes decline, it wasn't such a bad follow-up to his freshman season. His points per game, rebounds, assists, steals and assists-turnover ratio all improved, but his shooting percentages were down across the board. With his inside-outside game, I expect Devendorf to emerge as one of the Big East's best combo guards as a junior, avoiding the ups and downs that plagued last winter to turn in a complete season.

Paul Harris is the other returning contributor to get excited about. Like Devendorf, Harris was uneven in his first year but showed glimpses of what made him the preseason choice for Big East freshman of the year. Harris is not a good outside shooter, but, at 6-foot-5, He is probably the strongest player inch-for-inch in the Big East. He uses that strength to be a rebounding force and get himself to the line at extreme rates. He's a matchup problem for any wing defender and he should only get better as, through experience, Harris learns how to better use his size to exploit the opposition. He and Devendorf should be among the best 1-2 punches in the conference.

With Rautins out, senior point guard Josh Wright becomes more important. He may now get in the backcourt rotation after poor play limited his minutes by last season's conclusion. His trouble with turnovers and Rautins' emergence left Wright on the bench, but he's a solid distributor and will pick up the stray steal. Still, if Wright is playing important minutes then it means that one of the best freshmen classes in the country is not doing its job.

Boeheim is bringing in his largest recruiting class since the 1996-97 season, with newcomers at every position. Jonny Flynn already offers more than Wright, and he should start right away at the point for Syracuse. The 5-foot-11 Niagara Falls product has seen his stock soar over the summer and is now considered one of the best incoming point guards in the nation. DraftExpress.com has described Flynn as a slashing playmaker whose athleticism can create problems for defenses. Though a bit undersized, Flynn is exceptionally poised at a young age, and he'll need to be if he is going to be the point man on a team with top-25 aspirations.

The biggest difference-maker in this class is Donte Greene. The thin, 6-9 forward comes from Carmelo Anthony's hometown of Baltimore to Syracuse and should start immediately. Greene is a natural 3 but may be asked to play bigger in the Cuse offense with last year's starting front court -- Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts and Darryl Watkins -- all having departed. Greene prefers to face up and has a fine midrange game to go with his superb athleticism. Right now he lacks 3-point range and is not entirely comfortable on the block, but he has the kind of upside that makes him a likely star in orange. The question is whether he'll be ready to carry the load this year. With only three of the team's top seven returning -- and no height among those three -- Greene will have to grow up quickly, hitting the weight room hard to bang on the Big East boards.

Flynn and Greene are two names that will be constantly linked through their tenure in Syracuse, but three other newcomers figure to see extended minutes. Boeheim went to Philly to nab two players, including combo guard Antonio Jardine, a player who uses his slick handle to make plays but can also knock down jumpers. Jardine's teammate at St. John Neumann, 6-8, 220-pound Rick Jackson, joins Jardine at Syracuse. Jackson is a powerful rebounder and offensive force within five feet of the basket, but his game is lacking from beyond the post. He should, however, see immediate run considering Syracuse's lack of big people and is a very good long-term prospect. Kristof Ongeneat is the rare juco transfer to Syracuse -- the program's last impact juco was Jason Cipolla from 1994-96. The 6-8 Belgian should be able to provide some of the little things in the interior that Syracuse lacks. Another freshman, rangy and athletic Sean Williams has great upside but is a candidate for a red shirt, especially considering Boeheim's often-limited rotation.

The last player of note is big man Arinze Onuaku, who missed all of last season after knee surgery in the fall after seeing limited court time his freshman year. Onuarku is a burly 6-8, 245, and with two years in the program, he may have a narrow edge on Jackson for early playing time in the pivot.

For a team that lost so much from last year's NCAA Tournament near miss, expectations are perhaps unreasonably lofty in Syracuse. The Orange has a core of high-level talent, but much of it is untested. All the accolades in the world didn't make Paul Harris a consistent player in his freshman year, and we shouldn't expect that Green, Flynn, Jardine and the rest will be consistent forces in a tough Big East. If Harris and Devendorf can carry the load and allow the other players to be complementary pieces, then this team has a chance to be very good. But if Harris and Devendorf experience more ups and downs, then Greene and Flynn better have a lot of 'Melo and G-Mac in them if Syracuse is going to live up to the hype.